Leslie has caught up on his books and coach Mark Fox's open-court offense has allowed him an opportunity for a fresh start. He scored a team-high 21 points last Friday in Georgia's 87-53 exhibition win against North Georgia.

"I'm just excited about getting a chance to show the fans what I can do," Leslie said. "I had to sit the last little bit of the season, and I'd like to prove that I can do it. The coaches just wanted me to focus on grades to make sure I was ready for this year."

Leslie started 2008-09 as one of the Bulldogs' brightest freshman. He scored a career-high 23 points against Loyola-Chicago in the second game of the season.

But as the season wore on, Leslie's scoring pace slowed, and he finished with an average of 6.3 points per game. He also averaged 3.9 rebounds a game and had 13 blocks and 21 steals.

To emphasize his new beginning, Leslie changed his jersey number. He wore No. 22 last season, but has switched to the smallest digit of them all, No. 1.

"That's why I changed my number," Leslie said. "I want a new beginning and a new start. Last year, I wasn't satisfied with my season and what I did. I want to start all over."

Fox brings an up-tempo offensive style, which should fit well with Leslie's skill at open-court slashes to the basket. He sometimes felt lost in Georgia's half-court scheme last season.

"We've got a lot more full-court sets, and that's going to be more exciting," Leslie said. "That's the way I play. I love it, running up and down the court, crashing the boards and getting to the basket. I can't wait. It was tough last year because I'm not as much of a half-court player."

Jackson matures minus dreads

One of the most noticeable differences on this season's team will be Albert Jackson's hair.

His shoulder-length dreadlocks became a victim of Fox's grooming code.

Instead of sulking, Jackson, a senior, sees his more streamlined look as a sign of growing up.

"When coach Fox told me I had to get (my hair) cut, I started thinking about all those things, like I'm about to go out and get a job to start a career," Jackson said. "Image is an important thing and people connect long hair with a negative image, and I don't want to have that when I'm going into a job interview. So cutting my hair definitely improves my image, and I my vertical (jump) did go up, so maybe there's a connection."

Jackson is Georgia's only four-year senior and was a team captain as a junior last season. He started 28 games and averaged 4.5 points and 3.8 rebounds.

Anyorah ready to play

Ebuka Anyaorah pronounced himself healthy and fit for action after spending all of last season recovering from stress fracture surgery.

"Health-wise, I'm back," Anyaorah said. "I'm glad I can finally say that. I'm feeling good everyday, day-in and day-out. Last year, I'd have days where I felt good, and I had days where I didn't. But this year, I feel good every day, so I can safely say that I'm back."

Anyaorah had a rod attached to his tibia to repair a stress fracture that was discovered in summer of 2008 and took a medical redshirt to retain his freshman season.

"The rod went all the way through from my ankle to my knee," Anyaorah said. "I had to do rehab for my foot, leg and knee, so that was a full day every day. At first, I thought the world was over, but the I realized it was a blessing in disguise."

Anyaorah, a 6-foot-4 guard, had averaged 26 points and 8.2 rebounds as a senior at North Gwinnett High school. He figures to be among the top contenders for minutes on the wing in Fox's triangle offense.

"It was tough last year," Anyaorah said. "I couldn't play and contribute. All my friends and family and supporters were really looking forward to watching me play, so telling them that I wasn't going to play was kind of hard.

"After watching the first couple of games, I wanted so bad to help them, and I couldn't. But I decided to turn it into a good thing and use the opportunity to learn from the other freshmen's mistakes."

Fox has two scholarships left

Georgia picked up one player on the first day of the early signing period Wednesday, but Fox is not concerned about a lack of numbers. Georgia has two open scholarships that could be filled either during the early signing period or during the spring signing period.

"I'm not worried at all," Fox said. "We're going to add Cady (Lalanne) to our team next year, and we're going to add Gerald Robinson next year. I've always been really picky about who we recruit so that doesn't concern me at all."

Georgia signed forward Lalanne out of Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday. Robinson, a transfer from Tennessee State, must sit out this season, but should be eligible to play next season.